Jaguar XJ MOT pass rate & common failures
Across 44 model years and 144,467 tests, the Jaguar XJ passes its MOT 82.1% of the time. That is 2.4 percentage points better than executive cars of a similar age, which fail at 20.3%. Its most common failure areas are suspension, lighting & signalling and brakes.
Best and worst XJ years
Ranked across XJ years with at least 1,000 tests. Older cars fail more simply because they are older — compare years close together in age before drawing conclusions.
What the MOT record shows
The strongest year on this record is 2019 (92.2% pass rate); the weakest is 1999 (75.2%). Older cars carry more of the difference than the average implies.
No single area dominates — suspension (7.4%) and lighting & signalling (6.2%) are close, so failures are spread across several systems rather than one weak point.
At component level the recurring items are ball joint dust cover, pins and bushes and headlamp aim — ball joint dust cover alone was recorded 5,577 times.
Mileage is the strongest signal on the record: 7.6% of 0-30k cars fail, rising to 23.2% once past 150k — 3.1× the risk.
The diesel cars hold up better: 15.4% fail against 20.3% for petrol, a 4.9-point gap across 144,448 tests.
Suspension is the most common advisory, noted on 25.6% of tests — work that passed today but is likely due soon.
How it compares
By model year
Every XJ model year with a usable sample. Years with their own detailed report are linked.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate | Fail rate | Most common failure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 34 | 76.5% | 23.5% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1981 | 60 | 78.3% | 21.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1982 | 74 | 87.8% | 12.2% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1983 | 177 | 77.4% | 22.6% | Brakes |
| 1984 | 220 | 82.7% | 17.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1985 | 294 | 85.0% | 15.0% | Brakes |
| 1986 | 248 | 81.5% | 18.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1987 | 133 | 82.0% | 18.1% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1988 | 331 | 81.0% | 19.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1989 | 489 | 82.0% | 18.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1990 | 564 | 81.2% | 18.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1991 | 433 | 80.4% | 19.6% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1992 | 646 | 81.0% | 19.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1993 | 851 | 80.0% | 20.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1994 | 1,394 | 82.3% | 17.7% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1995 | 2,953 | 80.0% | 20.0% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1996 | 4,128 | 80.2% | 19.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 1997 | 4,384 | 78.8% | 21.2% | Suspension |
| 1998 | 4,569 | 77.1% | 22.9% | Suspension |
| 1999 | 2,670 | 75.2% | 24.8% | Emissions & environmental |
| 2000 | 3,205 | 77.0% | 23.0% | Suspension |
| 2001 | 3,671 | 79.2% | 20.8% | Suspension |
| 2002 | 3,387 | 78.0% | 22.0% | Suspension |
| 2003 | 10,435 | 78.8% | 21.2% | Suspension |
| 2004 | 9,989 | 78.6% | 21.4% | Suspension |
| 2005 | 6,916 | 79.7% | 20.3% | Suspension |
| 2006 | 8,191 | 79.3% | 20.7% | Suspension |
| 2007 | 7,458 | 80.2% | 19.8% | Suspension |
| 2008 | 5,400 | 82.2% | 17.8% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2009 | 3,421 | 81.7% | 18.3% | Lighting & signalling |
| 2010 | 8,095 | 82.3% | 17.7% | Suspension |
| 2011 | 8,964 | 83.4% | 16.6% | Suspension |
| 2012 | 5,944 | 85.0% | 15.0% | Tyres |
| 2013 | 6,700 | 83.7% | 16.3% | Suspension |
| 2014 | 5,905 | 85.1% | 14.9% | Suspension |
| 2015 | 5,284 | 87.9% | 12.1% | Tyres |
| 2016 | 5,918 | 88.8% | 11.2% | Tyres |
| 2017 | 4,832 | 91.0% | 9.0% | Tyres |
| 2018 | 3,623 | 92.1% | 7.9% | Tyres |
| 2019 | 1,857 | 92.2% | 7.8% | Tyres |
| 2020 | 555 | 93.7% | 6.3% | Tyres |
| 2021 | 55 | 87.3% | 12.7% | Suspension |
Most common failures (all years)
| # | Category | % of tests affected | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 7.4% | 10,681 |
| 2 | Lighting & signalling | 6.2% | 9,010 |
| 3 | Brakes | 5.2% | 7,508 |
| 4 | Tyres | 4.4% | 6,308 |
| 5 | Visibility | 3.4% | 4,976 |
| 6 | Emissions & environmental | 2.8% | 4,103 |
| 7 | Body, structure & corrosion | 2.1% | 3,103 |
| 8 | Steering | 1.8% | 2,577 |
Most common specific failures
The exact components most often recorded as failures — more specific than the categories above.
| # | Failure item | Times recorded |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ball joint dust cover | 5,577 |
| 2 | Pins and bushes | 3,779 |
| 3 | Headlamp aim | 3,384 |
| 4 | Tread depth | 2,996 |
| 5 | Catalyst emissions | 2,995 |
| 6 | Washers | 2,922 |
| 7 | Track rod end | 2,796 |
| 8 | Rigid brake pipes | 2,641 |
Top advisory categories
Advisories aren't failures, but they flag work likely needed soon — useful when budgeting.
| # | Category | % of tests with advisory | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Suspension | 25.6% | 37,024 |
| 2 | Tyres | 22.2% | 32,050 |
| 3 | Brakes | 20.9% | 30,132 |
| 4 | Emissions & environmental | 7.2% | 10,372 |
| 5 | Lighting & signalling | 6.3% | 9,054 |
| 6 | Other defects | 5.8% | 8,375 |
Failure rate by mileage
Higher-mileage cars tend to fail more — often the most useful guide to real condition.
| Mileage band | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 8,944 | 7.6% |
| 30-60k | 26,877 | 12.5% |
| 60-90k | 39,317 | 17.5% |
| 90-120k | 36,175 | 20.5% |
| 120-150k | 20,931 | 22.5% |
| 150k+ | 12,067 | 23.2% |
Failure rate by age
By fuel type
| Fuel | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| Petrol | 73,395 | 20.3% |
| Diesel | 71,053 | 15.4% |
Trend over time
| Dataset year | Tests | Fail rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 31,795 | 17.9% |
| 2022 | 30,645 | 17.8% |
| 2023 | 29,197 | 17.9% |
| 2024 | 27,191 | 18.1% |
| 2025 | 25,639 | 18.1% |
What to check before buying a Jaguar XJ
- Suspension (7.4% of tests): Worn drop links, bushes, springs or shocks — listen for knocks over bumps and check for uneven tyre wear. Typical repair: £150–£450 per corner.
- Lighting & signalling (6.2% of tests): Often a cheap bulb, but persistent issues can mean wiring or corrosion in the units. Typical repair: £10–£150.
- Brakes (5.2% of tests): Pads/discs are routine wear; binding, imbalance or corroded pipes are more serious — test for pulling under braking. Typical repair: £100–£350 per axle.
Repair costs are rough UK ballpark ranges to set expectations, not quotes — actual prices vary widely by car, parts and garage.
Frequently asked questions
What is the MOT pass rate for the Jaguar XJ?
82.1% of the 144,467 Jaguar XJ MOT tests in this dataset passed, a 17.9% fail rate, across model years 1980–2023.
What does the Jaguar XJ most often fail its MOT on?
Suspension, recorded in 7.4% of tests, then lighting & signalling (6.2%).
Which XJ years are best and worst for MOT results?
2019 has the best pass rate at 92.2% and 1999 the weakest at 75.2%, from 1,857 and 2,670 tests respectively.
How much does mileage affect XJ MOT results?
Fail rates run at 7.6% for cars in the 0-30k band and 23.2% for 150k+, a 15.7-point difference.
Is the diesel or petrol XJ more reliable at MOT time?
On MOT-testable defects the diesel fails 15.4% of the time against 20.3% for the petrol. This covers testable items only, not engine or gearbox reliability.
Methodology & source. Based on 144,467 MOT tests. Dataset: DVSA MOT testing data (2021,2022,2023,2024,2025). Data last updated 2026-07-27. Figures reflect MOT-testable defects only — read the methodology for how these are calculated and what they don't measure.